Tube Strike!

The 2 day tube strike has turned up some funny comings and goings. Having been witness to many tube strikes over the years, none of them pleasant, this one is more amusing - and busy - than most. 

Trains getting to work have been as usual, but had noticed one commuter who was clearly expecting to arrive at work very late actually prepared a bowl of cereal mid-journey - seriously, I kid you not! 1 packet of Weetabix, polystyrene bowl, pint carton of milk and 2 sachets of sugar for topping - and coffee of course - genius!! 

The real fun started at City Thameslink station - streets were packed with people walking who couldn't get a bus (I was one of them!) who also couldn't walk a straight line (I wasn't one of THEM!) insisted on texting or calling on their mobile while dawdling along like they had all day and me trying to overtake them in a most frustrated way (I'm a trainer - I can't be late for class), runners running through crowds like slalom skiers, novice cyclists who we're trying to keep up with the more seasoned cyclists and looking exhausted, and lastly but by no means least, there were the tourists who were completely oblivious to the goings on. 

By the time I got to work I surely needed a rest!! 

Getting home is no less of a chore - walking down High Holborn was busy so found a couple of good shortcuts (thanks Google Maps) and got a train home ok. 

This evening however was a different story! No one seemed to have any sense of direction so walking aimlessly around - pubs spilling out onto the street (commuters probably thought they'd need some Dutch courage to tackle the journey two days on the trot) and the poor guy handing out the Evening Standard getting jostled around as if was a giant skittle!!  Then they send a 4 coach train which was already more packed than a Turkish Dolmus Abd somehow commuters tried to get squeeze into the available cm's of floor space. I thought "I don't think so matey!" and stepped away to wait for the next train. 10 minutes later I have a train home and I have a seat - YAY!! Not luxury but at least not packed into the tin can they call a train like the proverbial pack of sardines. 

Now, I breathe....

The day after Easter...

Morning everyone, 

I hope you all enjoyed the Bank Holiday weekend. Weather-wise it wasn't bad but time to relax and forget about the Monday to Friday routine for 4 days was nice. 

So today, it's back to normality and that means the usual array of madness, frustrations, fun and frolics start all over again. 

This morning starts with the Doctor surgery where I experience the first taste of the madness that awaits me today. First, I arrive at 8.25am for my 8.30am appointment. I stand in the queue to check-in and end up standing there 10 mins while a woman tries to beg for an appointment this morning and would not accept any of the slots available. Then another queue forms to sort the overflow - all I wanted to do was say "I'm here!" but instead it was moan after moan. Finally get checked-in at 8.35am and them had to wait for the doctor which ended up being 20 mins late. So much for "you're the first patient in" and "you'll be in and out very quickly". Hmm... At least the doctor was helpful and didn't hurry me out the door...

So, I'm now late and resign myself to the fact that I've missed the 9.01am. I decide to go and get a coffee from the new kiosk and wait 27 mins for the next train. I get a coffee at the princely sum of £2.20 and my hand was immediately scorched at the heat from holding the non-insulated cup. The guy was reluctant to give me another napkin to put round it so I said "one of these days some person will scorch their hand and sue the ass off you" - he gave me a few napkins - that's more like it!! 

We're on the short train, a 4 coacher which is nowhere near long enough for the amount of passengers, and there's a party of 3 females (I can't call them ladies on account of their lack of vocabulary) - Nan, Mum and Daughter. Daughter is talking about smacking people in the mouth and kicking heads in (very ladylike) and the Nan is talking about claiming compensation for this, that and the other.  Mum is just loud and the volume is louder. Lady opposite me is fiddling with her earphones which are very tangled. (How do earphones get so tangled do easily? You put them in your pocket/bag tidily and when you take them out they are a pile of knots - it's one of life's mysteries, that one!) 

Daughter is now saying "this has got to be the slowest train in the world..." indicating clearly that she doesn't get the train often because by comparison, today, it's actually quite fast and we're running 3 mins early! 

As we leave Peckham Rye station, a girl on the platform is wearing a smart school uniform accompanied by bright blue patent Dr Martins - just stand out a bit. I quite like them and her non-conformist manner, although they'd look ridiculous on me. 

Well, the day ends and am on the way home - lots of tired, somewhat depressed commuters lining the platform to get on their train and more have coffee than usual. I'm sitting opposite an old couple who have a mobile phone and really don't know what to do with it. Perhaps it's new to them but the wife said "can you send a telex with it?" (How many of you remember what a telex is?!) - the husband responds correctly "yes love but it's not called a telex anymore, it's a text message" to which she responded indignantly "same thing!" Which made me chuckle silently. 

It's a bit like musical chairs this evening. The seat next to me has exchanged bottoms about 7 times and not even halfway home yet! There's a guy whose trying to get attention as everything he's wearing is red: red shoes, red jeans, red jumper, red scarf, red baseball bat - he looks like a great big strawberry!! I would ask him for his newspaper but not until he's "red" it (sorry!)

Well, home now and off to my SW group to see how I did this week. Hope today has been fun for everyone in whatever form that has been. 

See you tomorrow!! 

Mariah's here!!

Morning everyone! 

After yesterday's chaotic journey home I'm pleased to say that normal service is resumed and we're *enjoying* a nice smooth journey in this morning. I'm reading Metro with interest when a lady gets on the train and had to have a double take because she looks like Mariah Carey but not only looks like her, she acts like he too with her hand mannerisms as if she was singing one of her hit songs. She's speaking to someone on her mobile on hands free so It's quite amusing because she looks like she's talking to herself and her fingers are  moving up and down Mariah style. 

I have to say I haven't seen this for a long time but a middle-aged man (probably 55-60) in a suit has just started chewing on a strawberry flavoured bubblegum and us blowing some sizeable bubbles! 

Lastly, I think the profession lady in pinstripes a couple of seats away hasn't slept in a year because she's yawning so frequently, at least one yawn every couple of mins, it's quite distracting. It's a shame she doesn't think it necessary to cover her mouth as she does so - does nothing for her image with her mouth open very wide with every yawn. Not a happy dungeon in there I can tell you!! 

As I'm coming to London Blackfrairs station I'm passing an office block where there are two window cleaners dangling on ropes which put a moment on panic in me. I think you need nerves of steel to so that job. I wonder what drives them to take their career in that direction. Do they wake up one day and say "today I'm going to become a window cleaner for a very high London office block!" I dunno. I wonder how much it costs to do all the windows on an average block. Could you imagine the face of the office manager when presented with the bill? "Good morning sir, that'll be just £22,000 please". Could you imagine cleaning all the windows on the Shard?  You're in a meeting and then you look out the window to see a window cleaner dangling on just a thin rope whistling away to himself. And what if he dropped his wiper - bet that would be slightly annoying especially if he was in the 88th floor, chuckle, chuckle. 

Anyway, just thought if share that with you. On that note, have a great day!! 

A little too much...maybe?

Happy Friday everyone - it looks like today is showing the sun nice and early. Speaking of showing things, young lady opposite me is showing an inappropriate amount of flesh, top and bottom, which is making a lot of people feel quite unhappy, strangely moreso the guys but she seems oblivious to it. 

Something that I've noticed recently is that ladies are becoming less bothered about the state of their hosiery when wearing short skirts - it's a shame because I think it's about presentation: If you wear a smart suit then good hosiery completes it, however a lady opposite has more ladders than a DIY store. Not good!

On the subject of smart, one thing that stands out for me this morning is the 3 young gentlemen standing at the end of the carriage all looking very smart and one who has the full Clark Kent look. Very nice to see...but I fear I'll be thinking about Superman all day...

Anyway, I'm feeling quite weary this morning and I can tell that's the case for a good few people. Taking advantage of the quiet carriage and extra seats, a lady is fast asleep and the guy opposite her is lightly snoring - I know which station they get off at so will wake them if they don't wake themselves - the beauty of seeing the same faces every morning. Like me, they know how to party on a school night  but that's what it's all about.  

Just passing The Shard and I think it's the first time I've seen it all the way to the top - most days it's covered by cloud. Not sure I like the design at the top very much but the building itself is pretty awesome. It's nice to see London buildings on your journey - I can also see the "Walkie Talkie" and the Gherkin - so many different designs and each stands out in its own way. Makes the journey better when you have a clear sky to appreciate them more. 

Have a great weekend everyone! :-)

 

The Lady loves her Doritos

Good morning everyone,

Firstly sorry for the lack of travel meows for last few days - been I'll so have been too tired to write. I'm still recovering but I'm back!

So this morning is a beautiful sunny morning and a food few people have ditched their coats In favour of lighter jackets and there are a few sandals too. Very encouraging. But one lady is wrapped up in winter coat with bit woolly scarf, hat and gloves - and the hearing is on! She must be freezing!!

I'm observing an amusing lady sitting across the way - I'm going to call her Dorito Lady because she has an enormous pack of Cheesy Doritos in her hand. She clearly loves these crisps because she picks just one, holds in front of her in admiration of its triangular shape, roughened edges and inviting cheesiness and then she bites just the top, crunches, slowly bites another bit, crunches and finishes it, savouring every moment. I have to confess (and I'm sure most if you will nod as you read this bit) but when I have a pack of yummy crisps as these, I just grab a small handful and cram them in. My way of savouring taste :-) 

Well, it's all about the ladies this morning and the lady opposite me is getting some iPhone tuition from her daughter and she is asking things like "what is an app?" and "how do I send a text?" so this is clearly all new to her. Daughter is doing good job though. 

Lovely sunny scenery as we travel through Catford onto Crofton Park.  I'm hoping it stays this sunny all day. Don't quite understand why such glumness on the train though... I'm smiling so hopefully it will start to catch on. Well, if I can smile in the face of cold/flu I'm sure you can too :-) so make it a big one!!! 

Choccy Digestive, anyone...?

I've always been fascinated by how gadgets actually interfere with social skills and relationships. This morning a couple gets on the train opposite me - they held hands but no smiles or anything, they sat down and the first thing they did was put their newspapers in their bags and got out their iPads and started reading their emails. The first smile I saw was from the lady who seemed amused by a Facebook post. Husband is watching a video. They haven't said a word to each other in over 20 minutes. Now, done would say that I spend a lot of time on FB etc but.. If I was on the train with my partner I would chat to him, not get my iPad out. Sad, isn't it.  

Other than that I'm observing a 20 year old Neanderthal wiring his way though a WHOLE large packet of chocolate digestives. I'm not sure whether I'm jealous or not that he can have that many and I can't touch one without morphing into the Michelin Woman. But the way he's eating them is disturbing. I doubt he's enjoying them (I tend to savour every bite of these naughty but very nice treats) but pretty much cramming as much biccie in as possible and crunching open-mouthed - while talking to is mate opposite so bits are flying everywhere. Quite disgusting! 

Train is getting quite packed now - Wifey has still not uttered, grunted or otherwise to Hubby and over the back I can hear a mobile disco - man listening to dance music up very loud and sharing it with us all... Loving the bright yellow headphones! 

Well, it's a beautiful Monday morning and a lovely clear blue sky again - even Peckham looks lovely in the sun. Here's to a great day everyone :-)

Oh, and if you see any great observations on your train/bus journey that you'd like to share, please feel free to leave a comment below. 

See ya later!!  

Choccy Digestive, anyone...?

I've always been fascinated by how gadgets actually interfere with social skills and relationships. This morning a couple gets on the train opposite me - they held hands but no smiles or anything, they sat down and the first thing they did was put their newspapers in their bags and got out their iPads and started reading their emails. The first smile I saw was from the lady who seemed amused by a Facebook post. Husband is watching a video. They haven't said a word to each other in over 20 minutes. Now, done would say that I spend a lot of time on FB etc but.. If I was on the train with my partner I would chat to him, not get my iPad out. Sad, isn't it.  

Other than that I'm observing a 20 year old Neanderthal wiring his way though a WHOLE large packet of chocolate digestives. I'm not sure whether I'm jealous or not that he can have that many and I can't touch one without morphing into the Michelin Woman. But the way he's eating them is disturbing. I doubt he's enjoying them (I tend to savour every bite of these naughty but very nice treats) but pretty much cramming as much biccie in as possible and crunching open-mouthed - while talking to is mate opposite so bits are flying everywhere. Quite disgusting! 

Train is getting quite packed now - Wifey has still not uttered, grunted or otherwise to Hubby and over the back I can hear a mobile disco - man listening to dance music up very loud and sharing it with us all... Loving the bright yellow headphones! 

Well, it's a beautiful Monday morning and a lovely clear blue sky again - even Peckham looks lovely in the sun. Here's to a great day everyone :-)

Oh, and if you see any great observations on your train/bus journey that you'd like to share, please feel free to leave a comment below. 

See ya later!!  

Litterbugs and Gadgets!

Well, we're back on the skinny train this morning and it's extra busy due to a group of 50 foreign students going on a day out - it's all very noisy but just about manageable.  They were in good spirits and clearly excited about the day ahead. Loved the non-conformist clothing and specs fashions etc and one girl seemed particularly proud of her tooth braces as she was showing them off! It actually made a nice change to the usual monotony of the journey - the same old faces, the same old habits etc.  However, they left a whole lot of litter when they got off the train leaving us to stand in a mass of paper bags from a well-known fast food joint. Anyway, decided to do my bit for society so scooped up the main mess and chucked it in the bin in the platform. Strange how everyone watched but did nothing to help... Never mind it's what I expect these days, sadly :-(

The journey home is a bit more pleasant this evening - a couple playing bubbles with their gum to see who can blow the biggest bubble (yuk!) and a man who is the proud (and visible) owner of 5 mobile phones - all laid out on the table. He's on his iPad but keeps pausing to see if one of them rings. Funny, I wonder if these phones represent 5 pregnant girlfriends and he's waiting for "the call" - he looms that nervous. Finally a man standing between my seat and the one behind and leaning on the adjustable armrest which ended up with it bearing down on my shoulder. Good weight training though! Nearly home now and it's just starting to get dark. Looking forward to the next couple of weeks when it will be much lighter at this time. Exciting stuff!! 

That's it for now - nearly home for dinner - see you tomorrow!! X

 

Monday evening fun

Evening everyone,

On the train home and while it's quite quiet there are some amusing goings on worth reporting. 

First and foremost the big guy sitting opposite - in the space of 15 mins, he has gone through 2 Pepperamis, a large bag of Marmite flavoured Mini-Cheddars, a 4 finger Kit Kat and..... A Diet Coke! It's not particularly nice looking at his belly almost bursting through his shirt and his burping though. 

Guy next to me is having a "discussion" with his Wife about something happening at work - she is clearly upset (I can hear the entire conversation) and he is trying to calm her down, or at least I thought so until he said "If I was there I'd have flattened him..." - always a conversation winner, that!

Tappety Tap...Tappety Tap... Tap... Tap

Morning everyone!

Blackberries... you either love them or hate them. I'm referring to the gadget, of course, but one thing I hate is the tap-tap-tap sound when typing a message. It's loud and grating. I hate clicker tones (in fact I bet there are lots of commuters who hate clicker tones - hands up if you do!) and think they should be banned, or at least have your touchscreen phone on silent, but you can't do that with Blackberries. So the guy next to me is tapping away like his life is depending on it and giving me a mild headache! 

Oh, and I have to share a laugh: a guy is eating what I think are Salt & Vinegar crisps (a bit early in the morning, I know) but I think they are really sharp because he has that twitchy eye thing going on (you know when you eat something and you like you're winking constantly) and he keeps screwing the edges of his mouth. He's definitely making me chuckle. :-)

That's all for now. Have a great day everyone. :-)

The Splutter Brigade...

It's all rather unpleasant getting home this evening - I have my face covered to prevent the influx of germs circulating in the carriage this evening. Big (massive) sneezes "man", chesty coughing, clearing throats and all manner of unpleasantness going on this evening and I don't feel safe!  No one covering their mouth/nose and it's just awful.  There's a feeling of competition, in the manner of "if you can sneeze, I can sneeze MUCH louder than you..."  Really can't wait to be off in 15 mins then I'm running home and straight in the shower by way of de-germing myself!! 

We're on the "skinny" train this evening (for those of you unfamiliar with this term it's where the aisle is so narrow you'd have to be positively skinny to be able to pass down it without hitting someone in the face with your bag or standing on their foot). It's always a challenge and I measure my weight loss against how easy I found walking down the aisle! This evening was no fun - man bent down and his bottom "protruded" my personal space (let's say for politeness)! He apologised then did exactly the same again but I swerved my head this time even if I did swish hair into the lady's newspaper next to me. 

Ooh, home in a minute - see you tomorrow - have a great evening!! 

Moaners and Screamers

Good moaning! 

Well not even on the train yet and the fun starts. Trains delayed by 10 mins so reading the Metro on the footbridge. Two ladies moaning about the price of their ticket to Ashford International. "I could get to Reading for that price" says one "I could get to Harrogate" says the other, then it gets silly "I could get to France or Germany for that - it's RIDICULOUS!" she says with emphasis. I thought OK luv, I get it - it's expensive and no one likes paying sky-high fares, however you are travelling right in the middle of the rush hour so you're paying a peak fare - if you want cheap you should travel later in off-peak times but if you insist on travelling in rush hour you have to pay the same as everyone else as you are counted as a commuter - Simples!

I'm on the train now but unfortunately peace is not mine today - I have Mother and unruly screaming tot on board Abd it's grating on my delicate ear drums (those who know know very well that me and kids do not fit like a hand in glove) - now the train is busy with all the seats take - except HERS! There is a sizeable bag taking up 2 seats but Mum is walking unruly tot up and down the carriage leaving seat empty, save for said bag. A bit annoying especially as there is a blind lady with a guide dog standing. Hmm, not good. 

OMG, this is my highlight - lady just got on and I recognised her - she's the lady who made me redundant from my job back in 2007 - you can't mistake the person who had a face like a constantly slapped bottom and blonde hair who always looked like she thought she was superior to everyone. And... Best thing is that she's aged about 20 years - must be from making lots of innocent, hard working people redundant! Rotten woman!! 

I'm now trying very hard to drown out unruly tot who is now testing everyone's patience by screaming at the top of his lungs - there's only one thing for it - a playlist on iPod consisting of hard rock! If I can't have peace I'd rather hear screaming tunes than a screaming child!!

Have a great day everyone!!  

Sardines!!

Seems that Tuesday is fast taking over as the new Thursday/Friday for socialising. The train home is very busy and Mr N has just bonked his head on the parcel shelf rail as he sat down next to me. Man at the end of the carriage with very flamboyant, Elton-John style glasses trying to look cool (not working) and a larger lady breathing very heavily behind me whilst eating a large bag of crisps! Lots of people passing remarks about the death of Bob Crow (very sad and still quite shocked to hear) and one lady had mentioned him in Italian so made his name sound quite exotic! 

We've been stuck at signals for a couple of minutes and the driver has just announced something incomprehensible about the train in front - I guess I'll just sit and carry on my Spanish tutorial in the meantime... Mr N has now fallen asleep - peaceful...

Facial Expressions

Morning everyone! A little grey out there this morning and the mood is reflected on the train journey to work. Fortunately for me I have the company of my other half (I'll call him Mr N to protect his anonymity) to travel with - a rare occurrence.  

Facial expressions is the topic of the morning - noticing quite a few different ones today: mature guy opposite is kind of semi-gurning which is quite amusing and the guy next to him keeps screwing his face up in frustration as he's going through his emails. If I look through the door into the next carriage I can see a lady with a very red face and smiling as she's texting someone - wonder what about! Several ladies putting on their war paint and facial contortions as they apply mascara and lippy. Even Mr N is looking deep in thought reading Metro. 

Facial expressions - when you're on the train next (or bus) look around and see what you pick up - certainly makes the journey more interesting for me!! 

Have a nice day everyone! 

Mixed Bag Monday

Well on the early train this evening which is a busy one which means lots going on! Fascinated by the lack of consideration for fellow passengers in terms of bad habits. Sniffing (lots of sniffing), yawning in my face so close I count count her fillings, and sneezing into newspapers. All very gross.

Man ran into the train and plonked himself into a seat in a "this seat is MINE" manner - people standing around him crammed in, then he only gets off the train 30 seconds later at Blackfriars - what was that all about?! 

The train just pulled out of Blackfriars and there's a mobile argument - to summarise; she asked, he tried to explain, she got uppity, he hung up, she called him something unrepeatable. All happy on Walton's Mountain, then?! 

Quite interested in the lady opposite me - she has what I call Smartie Nails. Each nail is polished a different colour. Looks good - they are VERY long though. How does she do her coat up? 

Back to coughing and spluttering - people nearby and not a tissue in sight. Hand gel anyone? I have plenty...